BlueStone Press

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The best source for local news from Marbletown, Rochester & Rosendale

Published the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month | Vol. 28, Issue 12

June 16, 2023 | $1.00

Frost, smoke and dryness Rondout Valley farms roll with the punches Ann Belmont BSP Reporter “It’s always something when you’re farming!” That's a quote from Will Leibee, owner of Back Home Farm in High Falls. This spring has been full of "somethings," a May with hardly any rainfall, a frost on the late date of May 18, and then days of

thick smoke pollution drifting down from Canadian wildfires. Farmers are a resilient bunch – they have to be – but dealing with these challenges has meant at minimum a lot of extra work and, for some, major losses. The frost event seems to have had the greatest impact, especially on orchard owners and berry growers. Here's a great description of the atmospheric me-

chanics of a frost by John Wightman of Wightman Apple Farm in Kerhonkson: “Cold air is more dense than hot air … the best way to describe it, it’s like molasses. If you poured it on a topography, every place there’s a pocket, that frost will settle in. And it won’t start flowing downhill till it fills that pocket up.”

See Farms, page 15

Ready the cannonballs

Rochester discusses green initiatives

Rosendale pool opens for the season Madelyn Crews BSP Reporter Come one come all who have a towel and sunscreen. The official opening of the Rosendale Community Center Pool will be Saturday, June 24. Hours of daily operation are currently set for noon-7 p.m. An hour is reserved for early lap swimming on weekdays, 7-8 a.m., for all early birds. Swimming lessons and pool membership now have early sign-ups available. Swimming lessons for residents are $50 per child per session and $70 for nonresidents. The prices for Rosendale residents are as follows: $6 for adults 17 years and older, $3 for seniors 65 years and older, and $4 for children above the age of 3. Every child 2 years old or younger is permitted free admission. The daily prices for non-residents are doubled. Membership fees for residents are $95, $65 for single seniors, and $200 for a household of three with the option of a $25 charge per additional member. Nonresident prices are $150, $100 and $300 ($35 per additional member), respectively. A PDF detailing these prices is available in the recreation and youth section of the forms and document page on the Town of Rosendale’s website. Passes can be purchased at the Rosendale Pool ticket booth. After nearly 60 years and thousands of paying and playing patrons, the grounds were no longer safe to use. The dire need for a makeover was glaring, so action was taken at the speed of funds. The newly renovated pools are set to make a splash this sweaty summer. One group sure to

A new generation of ownership at RV Veterinary PAGE 11

Apples just beginning at Stone Ridge Orchards. Photo by Elizabeth Ryan

Grace Molenda BSP Reporter Rosendale Pool is opening on June 24. BSP file photo will bring back memories.

make many a splash is the Rosendale Rapids swim team. Their season is scheduled to begin practice once the pool is filled and ready. The competitors are led by Natalia Giunta, who’s been head coach since 2019, and supported by numerous assistant coaches. Registration for the team this season is unfortunately closed due to all spots being filled, but if you’re interested in swim meets or becoming a member next year, check out the team’s information page at rosendalerapids. swimtopia.com. At the Rosendale Town Hall meeting on May 3, Aiden Baker, Lia Berry, Andrews Digman, Claire McFarland, Ella Foss-Sellitti, Owen Hattenbrun, Morgan Hicks, John O’Sullivan, Isabella Parisio, Mason Perusse, Faith Rodrigues and Laszlo Sterling were hired as temporary recreation attendants. This role encompasses operating stands to overseeing events. At the Rosendale Town Hall meeting on June 7, the Town Board hired Gabrielle Baker, Owen Hattenbrun, Grace McArdle, Damon Reed, Dylan Ring, Caroline Steeves and Alana Florencio-Wain, Paige Baxter, Jill Creegan, Dylan Diallo, Luke Kotsides, Iris Laves, Benjamin Mcgahan, Clara Samko, Jack Samko and Mackenzie Snair as part-time lifeguards. These certified

individuals will be on duty until September – until the pool closes or classes begin, whichever comes first. Alas, the Rosendale Pool does not have CPR classes for non-employee persons. If you’re not currently certified and interested in lifeguarding or potentially saving a land-bound life one day, the Community Training Center of the Kingston Fire Department and the Wallkill EMS are two local institutions that provide CPR training for groups and individuals. Contact methods can be found on Ulster County’s HEART Safe website. It takes a couple of hours to learn the techniques. It takes a couple of minutes to save a loved one. The pool and buildings on the grounds are the embodiment of Rosendale’s dedication to quality recreation. The sheer number of people and power and perseverance it took to reanimate a landmark of fun, and now to maintain it, is a feat of force. Those who make hot days cool until the sun sets (maintenance workers, office officials, volunteers, in addition to those nominally mentioned) make all the difference for so many visitors. Congratulations to the many locals on their employment, and welcome to the patrol platoon! Recreation clerk Doreen Whitaker is the person to contact for further inquiries.

FUN Raising party for the MCC PAGE 20

The Rochester Town Board met in person on Thursday, June 1, at the Harold Lipton Community Center, Accord. Members in attendance included town supervisor Mike Baden and board members Erin Enouen, Adam Paddock and Charlotte Smiseth. Councilman Michael Coleman was not present at the meeting. Baden opened the meeting by announcing that “as of the end of May, the Town of Rochester has zero debt … and that’s something I think a lot of communities can’t say.” This information arrived as tax season closed in Rochester, with a total of $7,446,872 collected at time of meeting. Another opening update addressed resident inquiries about the O&W Rail Trail improvements, which were slated to start in Rochester in June. The Open Space Institute has appointed contractor P.E. Colluci of Gardiner to complete the project*. According to Baden, “The goal is still to be completed by the end of October, and so we look forward to getting that started soon.” Construction may impact access points within the Town of Rochester, but Baden promised that “the trail will remain open” for summertime use. Following the supervisor’s update, Enouen announced that the Environmental Conservation Commission will

See TOR, page 8

51st Annual Road Race on July 4th PAGE 12


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